Ocean Grove will have to provide beach access on Sunday mornings after a decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection overturned a judge's ruling from this summer.

DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette issued a 38-page decision on Dec. 26 reversing the administrative judge's order that allowed the Camp Meeting Association to keep beaches closed until noon on Sundays.

"OGCMA's violation of these terms and its own sworn statement by closing its beach on summer Sundays triggers enforcement not because the Department seeks unlimited public access as OGCMA contends, but because the nature of the closure at issue in this case is not aligned with the public's right of access," LaTourette wrote as part of the decision.

Beach access has been a point of contention because federal tax dollars are used to maintain public beaches.

The Camp Meeting Association has been contacted for comment.